Timing of suture removal in sequential surgery: a pilot study.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Corneal Surgery
• Cataract Surgery

Background:

• Penetrating keratoplasty (PK) is a corneal transplant procedure.
• Phacoemulsification (PE) is a common cataract surgery technique.
• Sequential PK-PE surgery requires careful management of corneal sutures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the optimal timing for corneal suture removal in patients undergoing sequential penetrating keratoplasty and phacoemulsification.
• To compare refractive and visual outcomes based on suture removal timing.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study randomized patients with PK sutures to removal 1 month before PE or during PE.
• Visual acuity, refraction, keratometry, and Pentacam analysis were performed.
• Corneal refractive change, surface variance, and visual acuity were assessed at 6 months post-surgery.

Main Results:

• Corneal refractive change showed statistically significant but not clinically relevant differences between groups.
• No significant differences were observed in postoperative spherical equivalent, surface variance, or visual acuity.
• Both preoperative and intraoperative suture removal yielded comparable outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The timing of corneal suture removal (preoperative vs. intraoperative) does not significantly affect refractive state or visual acuity in sequential PK-PE procedures.
• This suggests flexibility in managing suture removal timing in this patient population.